Penalties

1. An official raises his arm and play carries on — until the offending team touches the puck. The other side keeps possession, and may even pull its goaltender for an extra skater.
2. When the offending team touches the puck the whistle goes. The offender goes to the penalty box and his team plays a skater short until the penalty is served — and a goal by the other team ends a minor early.

Most penalties are one of three kinds: restraint — tripping, hooking, holding, interference; stick — slashing, high-sticking, cross-checking; and physical — roughing, boarding, charging. A few are none of those: delay of game, too many men. They are not all the same length either: two minutes for a minor, four for a double minor — two minors served one after the other — five for a major, and a misconduct is ten. A misconduct is the odd one out: the player sits, but his team is not a skater short, because a substitute takes his place on the ice. A game misconduct sends a player off for the rest of the night. Two calls that arrive together and carry the same time are matching, whatever the two infractions were — both players sit, and the sides stay even.

A goaltender leaves the ice for one other reason — and it is the more familiar one — The empty net.